There is plenty of research to support the fact that mothers play an integral role in shaping the body image of their daughters, as well as how secure they are in everyday life. Depending on how much support and nurturing we receive from the day we're born to, at least, teen years, lagely dictates how secure we end up being in our adult years.

Hi Connie,

The comments about Adelle being dumped because of her weight was a perfect time to tell them that Halle Barry,Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and many other female celebrities have been in multiple failed relationships and they are supposed to be some of the most beautiful women in the world.

This was a great chance to inform that how a woman looks on the outside is not a determining factor of whether or not she will be in a healthy and happy relationship--there are so many other factors that determine the success of any relationship.

Additionally, this was a good opportunity to ask them whether or not men are look at the same way when their relationships fail. Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson recently divorced is it because of their appearance?

When we as adults hear children saying insensitive and mean things about others, I think it is our moral duty to intervene, how else are children going to learn to think and act differently?

Your article has some wonderful suggestions and a girl's body image is absolutely influenced by her mother. The problem is we cannot separate the media's and mother's influence because media is also affecting mom! Before I decided to completely accept myself and my body I used to do silly things like remove half the bread from the burger before I ate it to reduce carbs. When my daughter was about 5 I noticed her start to do this too and I realized how important it is for me to lead by example. I think it's even ok to be neutral about your body. If you aren't really feeling great about your body, you don't have to lie and say you are but just don't criticize it. Knowing the truth about the way the media manipulates us also helps. If it helps, here is a post I wrote on the topic: [url=http://blog.crchealth.com/2012/06/25/3-big-lies-the-media-tells-that-increase-bad-body-image/]CRC Health Blog[/url] 3 Big Lies the Media Tells that Increase Bad Body Image

I agree with the five tips to help mothers promote healthy body images for their daughters. Though I'm not married, but if I have a daughter in the future, I will follow your advice. Thanks for your article!